Summer heats up for the Garrels and Bellucci

by Fabien Lemercier

26/07/2010

Philippe Garrel’s French/Italian/Swiss co-production Un Été Brûlant (“A Burning Hot Summer”) starts shooting this week. The 62-year-old director, whose four latest films were in competition at Venice (Night Wind in 1999, Wild Innocence in 2001 and Regular Lovers[+see also: trailerinterview: Philippe Garrelfilm profile] in 2005, winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director) and Cannes (Frontier of Dawn[+see also: film reviewtrailerfilm profile] in 2008), has this time cast Italian actress Monica Bellucci and Louis Garrel (who teams up with his father for the third time here) in the starring roles.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Co-scripted by the director, Marc Chodolenko and Caroline Deruas, Un Été Brûlant recounts the torments of a painter whose actress wife has left him. The film will open with the suicide of the male protagonist in a car accident and look back in flashback at their stormy romantic relationship.

This exploration of the precariousness of feelings and life will be in the same vein as the director’s previous works with pared-down dialogue, silences and intimate atmospheres. In summing up his project, Garrel says: "Through art, we fight for eternity; but there’s no point because we’re mortal."

About us

Cineuropa is the first European portal dedicated to cinema and audiovisual in 4 languages. With daily news, interviews, data bases, in-depth investigations into the audiovisual industry, Cineuropa aims at promoting the European film industry throughout the world. Welcome to a platform where professionals can meet and exchange information and ideas.